Focus U.S.A / Whatever happens, Israel can always count on U.S. evangelicals

[azurnoir]

Thousands of Christians from across the United States descended on Capitol Hill on Thursday in order to lobby Washington lawmakers on behalf of Israel.

Organizers of the event, called Christians United for Israel, showed their strength by lobbying over 85 percent U.S. Congress offices. Attendees of this year's gathering are visibly different from those in the past: about one in five of the 5,000 participants was from a Hispanic Church.

“Last year we had about 300 Hispanics, but this year we started specific outreach to the Hispanic churches where Spanish is a language of worship”, says David Brog, the executive director of CUFI. “We have started an outreach to African-Americans. It was always our goal to broaden our base ethnically, geographically and theologically”.

Yet despite the attempt to reach out to traditionally left-leaning minority groups, Democrats are few and far between at the conference.

“We are determined to be bipartisan, we always invite Democrats but typically we get better answers from the Republicans”, says Brog.

http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/focus-u-s-a/focus-u-s-a-whatever-happens-israel-can-always-count-on-u-s-evangelicals-1.303452

[jwirr]

1. As long as the evangelicals think they can convert them from Judaism

to Christianity - their kind of Christianity.

[hlthe2b]

2. Actually, evangelicals are content to exploit and have them all die

as long as it meets the requirements to ensure THEIR salvation. Want to convert them-- maybe-- but I don't think they really DO care. For RW extreme evangelicals, the Jews are a necessity only to the extent that it ensures THEIR ascension and thus expendable. THIS is what I don't understand in terms of the Likud's alliance with these RW "xians." They surely must KNOW this about their most keen "supporters."

[jwirr]

3. You say it so much better than I did. I was trying to explain that they

(ev) do not really care for the Jews. And yes why the Jews put up with this is beyond me. Maybe because in the last 30 years the haters have been in control of our government and military spending?

[whosinpower]

4. They use each other.nt

[oberliner]

5. Who is the "they" in your statement?

Do you mean Jews and Evangelical Christians use each other or do you mean Israel and Evangelical Christians use each other?

The post you were responding to expressed surprise about why "the Jews" put up with this - hence my request for clarification on your remark.

[Violet_Crumble]

7. It's pretty obvious to anyone with basic reading comprehension skills...

The poster they were replying to was talking about Jews and Evangelicals.

[oberliner]

8. That was unnecessarily mean-spirited!

The poster they were replying to was talking about Jews and Evangelicals but the OP is about Israel and Evangelicals so I was unsure which the poster meant.

I am pretty sure that I do have at least basic reading comprehension skills - I guess I skimmed a bit.

[Violet_Crumble]

9. No it wasn't. It was clear what they were referring to...

I'm not at all sure why you were confused in the first place...

[oberliner]

10. Well it came across that way to me

No worries, though - I guess I did have a brain-lapse. Happens from time to time. Cheers!

[Violet_Crumble]

11. No worries. And sorry if you thought I was saying yr reading-comprehension impaired...

I know yr not. Anyway, I've just read the entire OP and those Christian Evangelists make my blood run cold. I suspect as a group they wield far more power in the US than they should, and when people talk about the power and influence of the Israel lobby, it's not Jewish groups, but these ones that have power and influence, imo...

[LeftishBrit]

6. Yes, like the Trojans could always count on the Greeks and their nice horse.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

12. I don't think that's true.

My impression is that the commitment of the US right to Israel is more than skin deep. So long as Israel is Jewish and it has brown, Muslim enemies I think it can probably count on support from the Christian Right in the US.

[LeftishBrit]

13. I understood the OP to refer not to the average American RW-er...

but specifically to the ultra-religious Palin-worshipping types, who would quite like Armageddon to happen as soon as possible to spark off the Rapture.

I am sure that typical Republicans will genuinely support Israel as long as it buys American weapons and remains a useful ally against Those Others; but the Armageddonites probably don't give a fuck what happens to Israel and Jews, and are prepared to see them quite literally (in their view) go to Hell, if they think it will help them with their fantasy world.

[Douglas Carpenter]

14. most (but by no means all) hardline American Fundamentalist Protestants

believe that not only must they support Israel - no matter what - They believe that the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem must be destroyed so that the temple can be rebuilt - knowing that this would provoke massive war and Jesus can return. In this view of eschatology which is firmly held by the vast majority (but again by no means all) American Fundamentalist Protestants - America and Israel will serve as the armies of God while the armies of the Arab and Islamic world represent the forces of Satan.

In other words their theology not only rejects any compromise on the part of Israel, their theology maintains that World War III would be not only a good thing but an absolutely necessary prelude for the second coming of Christ.

It should be noted that this is not a marginal belief of a few religious nuts. It is the mainstream belief among the American religious right who now to a large degree dominate the current Republican Party. As an interesting side note, Pastor Rick Warren - is one of the few prominent American Evangelical leaders who does not embrace this view and has been heavily attacked by other fundamentalist for making a trip to Syria and also for expressing compassion for the Palestinians.

[Crunchy Frog]

15. U.S evangelicals rawwwwwwk!

:sarcasm: